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Entries from July 2016

July 28, 2016

The United States military has a rule that is sacrosanct. As expressed by President Obama, that rule is: “We don't leave our men or women in uniform behind." He referenced this rule to explain the authorization of the swap that brought Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl home after five years in the hands of the Taliban. It is generally believed that the maxim originally came from the Army Rangers’ rule to never leave a fallen comrade behind in the hands of the enemy.

The Richmond SPCA has a somewhat similar ethical principle that is deeply ingrained in our organization: We go to get a pet who was previously in our care if that pet should later turn up in a government shelter where his or her life is at risk. While we try very hard to make sure that we adopt pets to permanent and loving homes, there is no way around the fact that, when you adopt out more than 4,000 animals a year, a few of them will wind up from time to time in another shelter as a result of becoming stray or being deserted by someone we had trusted to do better. From time to time, Laura Palin, our manager of admissions, learns of a dog or cat who was previously in our care who is in a government shelter somewhere. These discoveries have been made possible largely through microchipping. We have been microchipping every pet that leaves our adoption center with an adopter for many years. Those chips are now read in almost every shelter in the country with a scanner and our contact information is on all of them for us to be contacted if the adopter, whose information is also on the chip, fails to show up to retrieve their pet.

Hotchner is now in a home where he is loved and his quirks are understood.

And, those pets can count on us to show up. In fact, in one instance, we learned that a dog we had adopted out named Hotchner who was in a shelter in upstate New York (they called us because of the microchip information). Laura Palin, Tamsen Kingry, Sarah Babcock and I caucused to discuss Hotchner’s plight because the drive was a very long one. Hotchner was sort of our own Sgt. Bergdahl because his behavior was, well, not ideal. But, as soon as Laura heard in the voice of the person in the New York shelter the sound of wavering about whether Hotchner’s life would be assured in their care, we agreed that we could not leave Hotchner behind because it would not be consistent with our ethics. The wonderful Jackie Laubacher of our staff made the long drive to upstate New York, saved Hotchner and brought him back to us. He is now in a good home where his behavioral, umm, quirks are accommodated and he is loved.

Ryan arrived back in the care of the Richmond SPCA this week and will soon be available for adoption.

Just this week, my husband, as he often does for us, drove many miles to save Ryan, a hound, who wound up in a rural Virginia shelter where he was not likely to make it without our rescue. As you might imagine, he is now being called “Private Ryan.”

Why do we put these considerable efforts and resources into saving our own group of four-legged Private Ryans? Because it is an essential part of the ethics of being a no-kill humane organization. When we take an animal into our care, we have committed to his or her life. Our commitment is a serious one – we will do for that pet what we would expect a responsible and loving guardian to do. We will get that pet well, if he or she is ailing, and will place that pet in a permanent and responsible home. We do not claim to adopt thousands of pets every year without ever making a misstep. No organization can possibly do that and I am proud of our superb adoption record. But I am also deeply proud of our moral code that we go to get our pets if they fall into a situation where their life is at risk. We really do believe their lives are precious and we take our commitments to them seriously. No dog or cat left behind.

Robin Robertson Starr is the chief executive officer of the Richmond SPCA. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

July 27, 2016

It is something you see all the time. A friend of a friend knows someone whose cat had kittens. The pictures are cute (as kittens always are), and you get overwhelmed by the fact that you can take one home for free!

As a member of the Board of Directors of the Richmond SPCA, I find this concerning on two levels. First, making a lifetime commitment to a pet is never “free.” While you may be able take the kitten home without paying an adoption fee, you will immediately have to pay for the initial veterinary visit, including initial vaccinations, and to spay or neuter the animal. In addition, for the duration of the animal’s life, you will have to pay for his or her annual veterinary checkup visits, food and necessary medicines. In comparison, a kitten adopted from a reputable humane society like the Richmond SPCA will have been examined by a veterinarian, received age-appropriate vaccinations and had spay or neuter surgeries performed prior to adoption. Furthermore, animals adopted from the Richmond SPCA are eligible to receive high quality veterinary care at a low cost through the Susan M. Markel Veterinary Hospital.

Second, as a society, we should not encourage or reward people who are irresponsible in caring for their animals. The kittens offered to me came from a cat whose guardian failed to have her spayed and permitted her to roam freely outdoors, resulting in an unplanned breeding. If we all spayed/neutered our animals, we would have far fewer homeless animals and far fewer orphaned kittens up for adoption. And only by seeking our companions from reputable humane organizations like the Richmond SPCA, will we discourage the irresponsible breeding of animals and strive toward the ideal of a world in which every homeless animal has a permanent, loving home.

Julie Vinyard is a member of the Richmond SPCA's Board of Directors. Her family's pets are all adopted: Thomas, 2009; Waffles, 2011; and Porter, 2013.

To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

July 25, 2016

It was a marvelous week in our adoption center and we are excited to share that 135 pets were adopted last week! We are so thankful to our amazing adoption counselors for their help uniting these pets with new, loving and lasting families. You can help spread the word about our available pets and lifesaving work by "liking" and sharing our social media posts on Facebook and tumblr. You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

Our adoption center is open every day of the week: Monday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Visit our website to see some of our dogs and cats currently available for adoption, for directions to our Robins-Starr Humane Center, to view the programs and services we offer and more.

Adoption Specials

Two Fur You- For the month of July adopt any 2 cats or kittens and pay 1 adoption fee.

Seniors for Seniors- Adopters age 60 or older who adopt a cat or dog age 5 years or older are eligible for a $50 adoption fee. Seniors for Seniors is an ongoing adoption promotion. Adoption of a cat in this program will include a cat starter kit, cardboard scratcher and a toy. Adoption of a dog through this program includes a leash and collar, food and water bowl and a toy. You can learn more about the Seniors for Seniors program here.

Match Finder tool

If you have not seen the pet you’re looking for among the cats and dogs currently available at our humane center, we recommend that you try our free Match Finder tool. This online tool is designed to help you find your new best friend by automatically emailing you when a pet matching your desired criteria is available. If you have any questions, please contact our amazing adoption team at 804-521-1307.

Offsite Adoptions

In addition to having many wonderful cats at our humane center, we also have several felines at the Carytown location of PETCO. If you would like to learn more about these felines or set up an appointment to meet them in person, please call our adoption team at 804-521-1307.

Alumni Updates

Our staff and volunteers love to know what our precious adoptees are up to, so please keep us posted! If you would like to share a picture or story of your adopted pet, please send us an email. If you would like to see your pet featured on one of our social media sites, please tell us in your message that we may share your update.

To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

The morning after Election Day in 2005, I got a call in my office from a staff member in our adoption center. She told me that Tim Kaine, Anne Holton and their kids were in an adoption center living room meeting dogs. I was incredulous since he had just been elected Governor of Virginia the night before. But, sure enough, I went downstairs and there they were. Tim had done many great things for our organization over many years and we knew both Tim and Anne well. They told me that they were fulfilling a promise to their kids that, regardless of outcome of the campaign, their family would adopt a dog as soon as the campaign was over. That morning, they adopted a precious little terrier mix who we had named “Baby Girl” but the Kaines renamed her “Gina” in honor of Anne’s childhood dog, Gina Lollabrigida.

Tim Kaine has recently been chosen as the running mate of Hillary Clinton and may become our next Vice President. While the rest of the country will be getting to know him in coming weeks, many of us in Richmond have known him well for many years. Tim and Anne have been active participants in our community and deeply dedicated public servants. What others may be less familiar with is that Tim has been a great friend to the Richmond SPCA over many years and has helped us to make our community one of the most progressive and life saving ones in the country for homeless animals.

Our early relationship with Tim included his helping us to make a TV commercial promoting pet adoption that featured his pant legs and shoes walking along next to the adorable John Henry through our adoption center. He led the support when he was on City Council for us to create a working partnership between our private Richmond SPCA and the City of Richmond Animal Control agency. It was a fairly contentious issue at the time but Tim was such a dedicated consensus builder that he got Council to approve it. That partnership survived for years and achieved great success in life saving until its continuation was rejected in recent years by the current Mayor’s administration.

As Lieutenant Governor, Tim chaired our highly successful Community Campaign to raise money for the renovation of the Hermitage Road building into our current adoption center. As Governor, he strongly supported the animal fighting bill that was passed by the General Assembly in 2008. This bill made our state a national leader in aggressively addressing the horrendous cruelties of animal fighting. Tim came to the Richmond SPCA for a ceremonial signing of that animal fighting bill and spoke movingly about its importance.

Tim Kaine has chaired our Fur Ball twice, speaking at each of them affectingly about the importance of animals to our lives. Every time I have asked Tim for help for the Richmond SPCA, he has generously given it and he has repeatedly used his great skills at consensus building to achieve progress for animals.

Like many folks in Richmond, we are so very proud of Tim and deeply grateful for all the quiet but important work he has done for the Richmond SPCA and for animals over many years. He has been a great friend to us and a committed friend to homeless animals in our community. This essay is not a political statement nor an endorsement but simply a statement of appreciation for a compassionate and unpretentious man whose dedication to animals and to our organization should not go unnoticed.

Robin Robertson Starr is the chief executive officer of the Richmond SPCA. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

July 19, 2016

It was a superb week in our adoption center and we are excited to share that 85 pets were adopted last week! We are so thankful to our amazing adoption counselors for their help uniting these pets with new, loving and lasting families. You can help spread the word about our available pets and lifesaving work by "liking" and sharing our social media posts on Facebook and tumblr. You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

Our adoption center is open every day of the week: Monday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Visit our website to see some of our dogs and cats currently available for adoption, for directions to our Robins-Starr Humane Center, to view the programs and services we offer and more.

Adoption Specials

Two Fur You- For the month of July adopt any 2 cats or kittens and pay 1 adoption fee.

Seniors for Seniors- Adopters age 60 or older who adopt a cat or dog age 5 years or older are eligible for a $50 adoption fee. Seniors for Seniors is an ongoing adoption promotion. Adoption of a cat in this program will include a cat starter kit, cardboard scratcher and a toy. Adoption of a dog through this program includes a leash and collar, food and water bowl and a toy. You can learn more about the Seniors for Seniors program here.

Match Finder tool

If you have not seen the pet you’re looking for among the cats and dogs currently available at our humane center, we recommend that you try our free Match Finder tool. This online tool is designed to help you find your new best friend by automatically emailing you when a pet matching your desired criteria is available. If you have any questions, please contact our amazing adoption team at 804-521-1307.

Offsite Adoptions

In addition to having many wonderful cats at our humane center, we also have several felines at the Carytown location of PETCO. If you would like to learn more about these felines or set up an appointment to meet them in person, please call our adoption team at 804-521-1307.

Alumni Updates

Our staff and volunteers love to know what our precious adoptees are up to, so please keep us posted! If you would like to share a picture or story of your adopted pet, please send us an email. If you would like to see your pet featured on one of our social media sites, please tell us in your message that we may share your update.

To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

July 11, 2016

It was a fantastic week in our adoption center and we are excited to share that 75pets were adopted last week! We are so thankful to our amazing adoption counselors for their help uniting these pets with new, loving and lasting families. You can help spread the word about our available pets and lifesaving work by "liking" and sharing our social media posts on Facebook and tumblr. You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

Our adoption center is open every day of the week: Monday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Visit our website to see some of our dogs and cats currently available for adoption, for directions to our Robins-Starr Humane Center, to view the programs and services we offer and more.

Adoption Specials

Two Fur You- For the month of July adopt any 2 cats or kittens and pay 1 adoption fee.

Seniors for Seniors- Adopters age 60 or older who adopt a cat or dog age 5 years or older are eligible for a $50 adoption fee. Seniors for Seniors is an ongoing adoption promotion. Adoption of a cat in this program will include a cat starter kit, cardboard scratcher and a toy. Adoption of a dog through this program includes a leash and collar, food and water bowl and a toy. You can learn more about the Seniors for Seniors program here.

Match Finder tool

If you have not seen the pet you’re looking for among the cats and dogs currently available at our humane center, we recommend that you try our free Match Finder tool. This online tool is designed to help you find your new best friend by automatically emailing you when a pet matching your desired criteria is available. If you have any questions, please contact our amazing adoption team at 804-521-1307.

Offsite Adoptions

In addition to having many wonderful cats at our humane center, we also have several felines at the Carytown location of PETCO. If you would like to learn more about these felines or set up an appointment to meet them in person, please call our adoption team at 804-521-1307.

Alumni Updates

Our staff and volunteers love to know what our precious adoptees are up to, so please keep us posted! If you would like to share a picture or story of your adopted pet, please send us an email. If you would like to see your pet featured on one of our social media sites, please tell us in your message that we may share your update.

To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

July 06, 2016

It was a lovely week in our adoption center and we are excited to share that 90pets were adopted last week! We are so thankful to our amazing adoption counselors for their help uniting these pets with new, loving and lasting families. You can help spread the word about our available pets and lifesaving work by "liking" and sharing our social media posts on Facebook and tumblr. You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

Our adoption center is open every day of the week: Monday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Visit our website to see some of our dogs and cats currently available for adoption, for directions to our Robins-Starr Humane Center, to view the programs and services we offer and more.

Adoption Specials

Two Fur You- For the month of July adopt any two cats or kittens and pay one adoption fee.

Seniors for Seniors- Adopters age 60 or older who adopt a cat or dog age 5 years or older are eligible for a $50 adoption fee. Seniors for Seniors is an ongoing adoption promotion. Adoption of a cat in this program will include a cat starter kit, cardboard scratcher and a toy. Adoption of a dog through this program includes a leash and collar, food and water bowl and a toy. You can learn more about the Seniors for Seniors program here.

Match Finder tool

If you have not seen the pet you’re looking for among the cats and dogs currently available at our humane center, we recommend that you try our free Match Finder tool. This online tool is designed to help you find your new best friend by automatically emailing you when a pet matching your desired criteria is available. If you have any questions, please contact our amazing adoption team at 804-521-1307.

Offsite Adoptions

The Richmond SPCA’s mobile adoption vehicle, Tail Wag’N, is on a mission to find homes for our shelter pets and we will be visiting the Carytown Petco location on Saturday and Sunday July 9 and 10 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with dogs available for adoption. Find more information here.

In addition to having many wonderful cats at our humane center, we also have several felines at the Carytown location of PETCO. If you would like to learn more about these felines or set up an appointment to meet them in person, please call our adoption team at 804-521-1307.

Alumni Updates

Our staff and volunteers love to know what our precious adoptees are up to, so please keep us posted! If you would like to share a picture or story of your adopted pet, please send us an email. If you would like to see your pet featured on one of our social media sites, please tell us in your message that we may share your update.

To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

July 01, 2016

Many people associate the Fourth of July as a holiday to be spent outside with friends and family and it is natural to want to include our four-legged friends. However, we cannot forget that these festivities may cause more stress than enjoyment for our pets.

According to Chris Bane-Hayes, a front desk associate at the Richmond SPCA, “We have an overwhelming increase in calls about missing pets every year after the Fourth of July. Even if your dog has been to fireworks before, he may bolt because he is scared. It is heartbreaking because some families never find their pets again.”

Animals have an acute sense of hearing, and unlike people, pets do not associate the bright flashes and loud noises of fireworks with a celebration. The noises, bright lights and smells of fireworks often result in panicked pets escaping from their homes or yards. Across the country, the Fourth of July is the number one night for escaped pets to become stray animals that end up in animal shelters. Make sure that your pet feels safe and secure during this festive holiday with the following tips:

If you are heading out to a fireworks display, leave your pet at home.

Opt to keep them in a secure, protected room or basement. Play music or keep the TV on to muffle outside noises and cover windows and doors so pets won’t see the flashes of light.

Exercise your dog earlier in the day before festivities begin and bring them indoors well before evening displays are scheduled.

Take a current photo of your cats and dogs– just in case.

Distract your pet if he appears anxious or scared rather than attempting to “correct” his anxiety. Your confidence and comfort will help him more than punishing fearful behavior.

Cats will usually just run and hide, and it is usually best to just let them do that.

After the celebration, check your yard for firework debris before allowing pets outside to play or relax. Even if you did not set off fireworks in your own yard, debris may have found its way into your yard and can be dangerous to animals.

Angi Baber, the administrator of Lost & Found Dogs- Richmond, a Facebook page that helps to get lost pets back to their homes, emphasizes, “No matter what, having your pet microchipped is an important thing to do. In the event your pet does get lost, it can help make reunions happen faster.” However, a microchip is only as useful as the contact information maintained in the database. Be sure that your microchip company knows the best way to reach you and has been updated if you’ve moved or changed phone numbers since your pet was chipped. Guardians who have adopted from the Richmond SPCA should contact 24PetWatch to confirm accurate contact information.

With some proactive planning, you and your pet can have a happy and safe Independence Day!

Sarah Pavilack is spending the summer shadowing the Richmond SPCA communications department and is a rising senior at Virginia Tech. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.